


War of Worlds

by ClarySade, Levi_Rivaille933012



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst, Care of Magical Creatures, Centaurs, Chimeras, Crossover, Curses, Demigods, Dragons, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gods, Hogwarts Eighth Year, M/M, Magic, Magic-Users, Post-War, Teamwork, Thestrals, Trolls
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-09
Updated: 2018-06-09
Packaged: 2019-05-20 07:31:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14890245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClarySade/pseuds/ClarySade, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Levi_Rivaille933012/pseuds/Levi_Rivaille933012
Summary: After years of cautiousness and suspicion, the Battle of Hogwarts is over. The surviving students have taken a month to heal from the war, but now they have to return for a last year of school at Hogwarts. Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger must come back with all their friends and take a new, eighth year of Hogwarts, but they have to finish rebuilding the place first.Year after year, Percy Jackson and his team have stopped the apocalypse. After their last war with the Titans, they stay to help clean up camp, but when Chiron gets an emergency Iris Message from his old friend, Professor Minerva McGonagall, asking for his best team of Half-Bloods to help the reconstruction of her school, he sends Percy and the gang to England on a new quest, to escape their growing PTSD and memories from camp. The only question that remains: Is it truly an escape when you have the-boy-who-lived and a group of demigods in the same place at the same time?





	1. Prologue

It's been a month since the Second Wizarding War, or The Battle of Hogwarts. Professor Minerva McGonagall was standing at the site of her old desk, remembering the room it used to belong in. The large stone fireplace in the wall and windows that used to overlook the Quidditch grounds. She remembered concealing the door on the opposite wall that connected her office to her stone-floored bedroom. Now it was nothing but an old ruin, fragments of the stone and wood that made up her bookcases, desks, floors, and walls. She felt a tear slip down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away. She had come up to her old office for a reason, and she wouldn't let her emotions get in the way of protecting what's left of her school.

McGonagall reached into her robes and pulled out a galleon and her wand. Slowly and carefully, she points it up and closes her eyes.

"Aguamenti," she said, clearly. Her eyes opened to see a stream of clear water protruding from her wand. The sunlight coming in through the many cracks in what used to be her ceiling. She waited until the air around it formed a rainbow and flipped her galleon into it. She watched as it disappeared into the rainbow. Oh, Iris, McGonagall thought to herself, Goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering. Then as it started shimmering, she calmly said, "Chiron." After a second or two of the rainbow shimmering, she watched as a large centaur appeared in the rainbow.

"McGonagall... Why are you contacting me? Why now? What's happened?" Chiron asked, worriedly. McGonagall sighed and looked around her old office. Slowly, she looked back at the Iris Message.

"Chiron, we need to talk," she said, quietly.

~ ~ ~

Harry laid on his back on his bed, twirling his wand in his hands as he studied the ceiling. Hermione and Ron were sitting on the opposite bed. After the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry had spent the last month at The Burrow, since he hadn't wanted to return to the Dursleys, and Hermione had realized that she couldn't return home after she erased her parent's memories. Just like before, Hermione had been staying in Ginny's room, just like Harry had been staying in Ron's. Every once in a while, the ghoul that stayed in the Weasley's attic would come down and play around in his room.

Harry shifted positions to look at his friends. Hermione had opened up a spell book she kept in her purse and flipped to a random page, studying the spells. Ron was half asleep, waking up every now and then because of the thumps coming from the ceiling. Harry groaned and sat up, resting his head on the headboard. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a sympathetic glance from Hermione, and he closed his eyes. After the war, Harry hadn't known who felt the hardest blow out of the three friends.

Aside from the Dursleys, Harry had no family left. He had felt this feeling before, but now it was almost entirely true. Sirius was gone, and so were Lupin and Tonks. All he had left now were the people at Hogwarts, who he might not ever see again, and the Weasleys. Even Snape was gone. Harry couldn't help but feel guilty after Snape's death. The entire seven years at Hogwarts, Harry was convinced that Snape had been out to get him, but all the while all he wanted to do was protect Harry. Snape's last words haunted Harry every waking moment and sometimes is followed into his dreams.

The Weasley family had lost Fred, which was a huge defeat. George hadn't been the same since the war. On the outside he seemed the same way he always was: he owned the Weasley Wizard Wheezes and he tried his hardest to crack jokes whenever possible, to try and ease tension during family discussions. Since Harry shared a house with him, however, and managed to stay up until the early hours of the morning, every now and then he could hear quiet sobbing echoing throughout the burrow.

Hermione had almost no one left. All she had was Harry and the Weasleys. After she erased her parents' minds, removing all traces of herself from their memories, she had no one else to go to other than the Weasleys. She stayed with Ginny and sometimes Harry would hear them stay up and talk. He couldn't hear them clearly, but usually, the conversations sounded dark. There were rare moments, however when he would hear Hermione and Ginny laughing from the first floor. The sound of real genuine laughter was the only thing keeping each of the three friends sane.

"Hey Harry," Hermione said, out of the blue. Harry lifted his eyebrows in response. "What does the spell Rictum Sempra do?" Harry chuckled a little, as he remembered using that spell in his second year when Gilderoy Lockhart, the arrogant wizard author, became the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and started a dueling club. Harry had used the spell against Malfoy, who had doubled over, wheezing and laughing.

"Its a tickling charm," Harry answered, with a smile on his face. Hermione laughed, and Harry knew that her thoughts had gone to the same place his had gone. Ron snapped awake to the sound of their laughter and tried to join in, making Harry and Hermione laugh even harder. Hermione wheezed a little before wiping her eyes and flipping through the pages some more. She landed on one that she liked and turned to Ron.

"Your turn," she said. Ron nodded carefully as she continued. "What does the spell Skurge do?" Ron opened his mouth to answer but quickly shut it again. Harry chuckled. Hermione's eyes skimmed over the description and use of the spelling and started flipping the pages again. Ron rolled his eyes, irritated with the fact that he didn't know the spell. In his defense, Harry didn't know either. Eventually, Ron shrugged and Hermione nodded, closing the book and putting it back.

"Is it a summoning charm for creatures?" Ron asked, seemingly out of any other ideas. Hermione giggled and shook her head.

"It cleans up ectoplasm," she explained. After seeing Ron's confused expression, she said, "You know. The residue left by ghosts?" Ron rolled his eyes.

"I know what ectoplasm is. It's just... Why is there a spell to clean it up?" he asked. Harry laughed at Hermione's expression. To Hermione, almost every spell was important for its own reason. Ron questioning the use of a spell must have been like someone questioning why the sky was blue. Harry opened his mouth to respond but was cut off by someone downstairs.

"Ronald! Harry! Hermione! Come down here! You've all got letters!" Molly shouted up to them. Harry looked back at Hermione and Ron, finding his friends looking back at him. He could tell they were wondering the same thing he was. Why would they have gotten letters? Harry got up and walked out of the room, followed closely by Ron and Hermione. Ginny came out of Fred's room on the second floor and met them on their way down. Harry didn't bother to ask what she was doing in there. It was one of two options: Ginny wanted to be in the room that belonged to Fred, or she had heard George crying and went inside to comfort him. Either way, Ginny looked upset. Ginny split up with the rest of them when they got down to the first floor and walked into her room.

When Harry, Ron, and Hermione entered the kitchen, the first thing Harry did was analyze the room. It had been a while since he had been in the Weasley kitchen, as he was usually too upset to leave the room. There was a large wooden table, just like there always had been, as well as the eight chairs around the table. Doing a quick mental count, Harry counted seven people staying at the house, since Percy, Bill, and Charlie had been out of the house for months, which meant that Molly and Arthur had kept Fred's chair at the table. There was the large clock Harry had seen the first time he had come to the burrow. It had only one hand and instead of numbers, it had things that the family had to do, like 'Time to feed the chickens', or things that the family would need to know, like 'You're late'. On the opposite wall, there was a large fireplace that the family used to transport using the Floo Network. On the mantlepiece, there were stacks of magic recipe books. Molly had organized it so there were only stacks of three. There was a door that led out to the front yard, and another that led out to the back garden.

Molly gestured to some chairs for them to sit down, which they did, throwing glances at each other. Without saying anything, Molly handed each of the three friends their letters. Molly had tears in her eyes, and Harry's letter was already open. Harry reached out and unfolded the letter. Right off the bat, he noticed a fairly familiar handwriting and font. One that he hadn't seen since his eleventh birthday.

**HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF**

**WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY**

**Headmistress: Minerva McGonagall**

**Dear Mr. Potter,**

**We are pleased to inform you that the remainder of all former seventh-year students that have attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry will be returning to Hogwarts for an eighth and final year for seventh-year students and those students only. We regret to inform you that the school has not yet been under construction to repair the damage. Since you are considered the best of the best out of the current students at Hogwarts, the professors would appreciate it if you could arrive before September 1st, when the school year will officially start. We appreciate you and everything you have done for our school and our community, and we would understand if you choose not to come. If you choose not to participate in the reconstruction, we will be expecting you to arrive on September 1st for your final year at Hogwarts.**

**Enclosed, you will find a list of the books you will need for success in your education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Most of you should still own the majority of them, but we have enclosed the list nonetheless. We are excited for your arrival back at Hogwarts.**

**Yours Sincerely,**

**Minerva McGonagall**

Harry glanced up at Molly, whose face already had streaks of tears staining her cheeks, and then at Ron and Hermione, who had already finished reading their letters. Harry put down his letter. After the Battle of Hogwarts, he was sure that he wouldn't ever return to the school. Harry rested his face in his hands for a moment. He heard someone get up from their chair and place their hand on his back. Harry tried his hardest to keep tears at bay. He had known that the professors hadn't had time to bury the bodies from the war, so when they arrived they would have a funeral. It was going to be hard for all of the former seventh years. Harry took a deep breath and looked up again. Everyone was looking at him, waiting for his response. He might not be the Chosen One anymore, but he was seen as the Boy-Who-Lived, making people look up to him as a leader, but his friends knew better than to think of him like that. They know to think of him as the child who was thrown into a war and into a life that he didn't wish to be involved in. Nevertheless, they waited for his reaction.

"I guess I'm going back to Hogwarts then," he said, brushing his hands through his hair. Hermione's eyes turned to glass as tears started to stream down her cheeks. She knew that they were going to have to bury the dead from the battle, and Harry could see the understanding in her eyes, but she nodded just the same.

"Me too," she whispered. Molly covered her face and squeezed Arthur's hand with her free one as she waited for the inevitable from Ron. He looked up and nodded in agreement.

"If they're going, then we will too," said a voice from the doorway. Harry turned around to see Ginny and George standing in the doorway. Molly walked around and pulled George into a long embrace. Harry stood up and Ginny walked over to him, embracing him as well.

"You don't have to do that, Ginny," Harry said, trying to change her mind. He knew that he wouldn't be able to persuade Ron to stay, but he couldn't bear it if Ron, Ginny, and George all had to bury Fred. It would be heartbreaking for every single one of them, but he didn't think he could handle the look on their faces when they saw him.

"Yes I do," she whispered, stubbornly. Harry couldn't help but smile as he squeezed her a little tighter. After a minute or two, he released her as Molly released George and the five of them walked out of the kitchen and up the stairs to pack.


	2. I

Chiron stands there, staring at where the Iris Message was moments ago. Two major wars, at the same time... that couldn't have been a coincidence. It couldn't have been good either. After the Second Titan War, a war that had taken place, mostly, out in the city, cabins, and fields alike had been destroyed. He could only imagine how badly Hogwarts had been damaged after the infamous Voldemort had led his army purposely against the school.

He sighed, looking around his office, which was, somehow, relatively clean after the battle with Gaea. He couldn't imagine Camp Half-Blood completely destroyed like he had seen behind McGonagall. She needed his help, though, and he knew he wanted to do as much as he could, but he didn't know what to do. He looked around once again, hoping to find some answers in the empty room.

After a minute of nothing, Chiron walked away. He needed to leave and get some fresh air; if he hadn't, then he felt like he would suffocate. He walked out of the Big House, looking around at the "new and improved" Camp Half-Blood. Cabins were bigger and more intricate. The designs were embellished, and there was more space in between each of them. Chiron walked around all of camp, looking back on how much time it had taken to fix it all. The demigods had needed to ask their godly parents for help, and Leo had required the help of Festus.

As Chiron passed by the battlegrounds, he saw the seven of the prophecy. Slowly, he came to a stop and he watched as Jason and Percy dueled, swiping at one another, movements slow and timid, hoping not to actually hurt the other. Their eyes hadn't flicked away from each other or the swords, just as if it was an actual in time duel. Chiron moved from the two and their duel to find Will and Nico in the grass. Will was sitting in the grass, watching as Nico stood over him, seemingly yelling about something, as he calmly closed his eyes and shook his head. Chiron chuckled softly, at least they hadn't changed much. He turned his head slightly and saw Annabeth sitting on a bench near the battlegrounds. There was a closed book next to her, but her head was resting in her hand, and Hazel sat next to her, basically in tears. Frank, the one Hazel usually went to with her problems, was nowhere to be found. Leo had managed to disappear as well.

Suddenly, Chiron's eyes are snapped away from the two girls on the bench and fell upon the brunette who stomped into the arena, Reyna on her tail. Reyna was yelling something while Piper took her sword and slashed violently at the dummy she had stopped in front of. Chiron couldn't help but frown. The whole camp seemed to have turned upside down after the war with Gaea, but of course, that could be expected. Their lives had just been torn apart. He walked down the hill he stood on and galloped over to where Nico and Will were arguing. They stopped and looked over at him when they heard his hooves.

"Chiron? What's wrong?" Will asked him. He shook his head, ignoring the question for the moment, and turned to Nico instead. His eyes were bloodshot and his face was sunken and pale. Chiron had known that he had been shaken up after the war, but there was no way it had affected him that badly. As much as he wanted to worry about it, though, there were bigger things at hand.

"Nico, I need to you find Frank and Leo and tell them to meet us back here. Tell them that it's urgent," he said. Nico nods, turning away, immediately, walking towards the shadows. As Chiron turned to trot over to the battlegrounds, he heard yelling behind him.

"Nico! I swear to Zeus, Nico if you shadow travel I'll kill you!" Will exclaimed, jogging to catch up with Chiron. Jason and Percy had stopped their duel, and Reyna, who had sheathed her sword, had somehow managed to calm down Piper. Annabeth and Hazel stood up; Annabeth had snapped out of her daze, and Hazel had stopped her rant. They all stood there, their faces were fallen, and their spirits broken, finalizing Chiron's decision.

Everyone was a lot worse than he had thought, so he decided that he would give them something else to do. The camp wasn't a disaster and Hogwarts was a mess, so what better way to keep their minds off of the war than to go to Hogwarts and help clean up. He hoped that it would help them overcome their fears and barriers that were built up between one another.

"Demigods!" he called, trying to get their attention. No one looked at him. They had all gone back to their own business and he sighed. "Listen up!" he yelled louder. Still nothing. He rolled his eyes before stomping his hooves loudly. The sound echoed throughout the arena and everyone turned to him startled as he yelled again.

"Thank you." he sighed. "Now that I have your attention, there is something I need to tell you." He looked around the stadium. All eyes were on him and he took a deep breath before continuing.

"You all, are in a slump. Barriers have been built up between all of you. Things were taken, minds plagued due to the war, but what I am about to tell you... what I am about to send you to do... will require you to talk to one another, to tear down those barriers, overcome those fears, and accept what has been thrown your way." he said. Everyone looked at him, bored expressions on their faces. Not one person seemed excited or curious as to what he was going to say.

"You are going to leave the camp this summer. All nine of you." At that, some people bristled. They began chatting, wondering why he would do such a thing. "Listen!" he yelled loud enough for everyone to quiet down.

"I am going to send you to a school." There was a quiet groan from Leo's direction and Chiron chuckled. "I am not sending you there to learn mathematics or languages. This is not an ordinary school. It is a school for..." he paused, trying to decide on what to say. He didn't want to tell them that it was for Wizards. This would either frighten them, or they would try to kill them. "For.. people with certain abilities. They learn how to use those abilities there."

"So, why are we going there?" Leo shouted.

"Well, I know one of the teachers there. While we were having our war here, it appears that they were also fighting a war. Unfortunately, their school is destroyed and they lost way too many people to help rebuild it fast enough. They need to rebuild it before school starts again, but they need help. So, I am sending you nine there to help. Hopefully, while you are there, you will learn to trust each other and your abilities once again."

They looked around at one another, a mixture of shock and confusion on their faces. Chiron looked at each of them, fully prepared to lose some of the best campers he's had the pleasure of knowing for a little while if it meant that they would better themselves. Besides, he owed Minerva a favor for helping him with the first titan war all those years ago.


	3. II

Percy was almost finished packing. He couldn't believe how excited he was. Chiron had mentioned that the school for kids with special abilities was in London, and he and Annabeth couldn't contain their excitement. They had always wanted to go to London. Maybe when they were done rebuilding that school they could go sightseeing. When Chiron dismissed them, Percy and Annabeth had met up outside the Poseidon cabin to discuss their plans. It couldn't have come at a better time, either. Percy had noticed that changes in everyone's personalities. Piper had become more aggressive, getting closer to Reyna as she tried to help Piper sort out her rage. Reyna had become more gentle as well, surprising just about everyone. Annabeth had stopped reading, and Percy could tell that she hadn't been getting enough sleep, either. Jason started getting more stoic, not as cheerful or optimistic as he was when they had first met. Jason and Leo had gotten closer as friends since Leo had experience in the "building an emotional wall" department. Hazel and Frank hadn't drifted apart like all the other couples in his group, but Percy noticed that they were spending more time in the woods than usual. Will was always trying to help and fix everyone, so not any different than usual, but it was becoming almost too much. It was like Will couldn't fix his problems, so he was trying to solve everyone else's. Nico, however, was the one who had changed the most. He tries to put a brave face on when he's around Will and everybody, but sometimes when it's just him and Percy, he can see how broken and sad he really was. It was hard to remember that he's just a kid, and it tore at Percy's heart to see him so upset. He was too young to be so broken.

Percy let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding and looked down at the tear stains on the black shirt in his hands. Percy quickly shoved the shirt into his bag and wiped his face. It started happening after the war.. Every now and then he would get lost in thought, or blackout completely, and when he finally came to he would be in tears. He moved his bag off of his bed and sat down, using his sleeve to wipe his face, not caring about the red marks that were almost definitely going to show up afterward. There was a soft knock on his cabin door and he stood, feeling his hand snap to his pocket, feeling for his pen. He sighed and let his hand fall.

"Who is it?" he asked through the door. Silence. He furrowed his brow and walked to the other side of his bed. He heard another knock and he listened for anything that might give away the identity of the knocker. "Who's there?" he called out again. Still nothing. Percy groaned and walked over to the door, feeling the sharp coldness of the knob on his fingers as he swung it open. Nico stood on the other side, looking like death.

"Are you busy?" Nico asked him, his voice brittle and hoarse. His face didn't look any better. He was pale, his cheeks were sunken, his eyes looked like glass, and his lips were dry and chapped. Percy shook his head.

"No." Percy returned to his spot on the bed, allowing Nico to come in. He sat down on the opposite bed. The bed that didn't belong to anyone. The bed that reminded Percy how alone he was. He clenched his fists, letting his nails dig into his palm, snapping himself out of it before he started crying again. He looked back at Nico, who looked just as ready to cry as Percy felt. "What's wrong?"

"I think... Percy, I feel like maybe... Was it possible I may have stretched out my limit?" he asked, quietly, picking at the cotton of the blankets. Percy looked at him in surprise. He hadn't thought about that possibility much when trying to find an excuse for the way Nico had been acting. Had Nico really reached his limit? Nico noticed the confusion on Percy's face and he continued. "You know, like maybe Will was right or something? Maybe I shadow traveled too much and-" Nico was interrupted by an incoming satyr.

"Hey Perce! We've got to finish packing soon. Everyone is already.." Grover trailed off, looking at the boy across the room, "..done. What's wrong Nico?" Percy bit back a sassy retort and signaled for Nico to say whatever he wanted as an excuse. He gladly took it.

"I was tired and the beds in my cabin suck. I was asking Percy if I could take a power nap or something in here," he lied, keeping his voice neutral. Percy's eyes widened a bit at the facade Nico was putting up, but he couldn't help but find it sad. He could only imagine how many times Nico has had to practice being okay so no one would worry about him. He couldn't help but think that maybe Nico was better at hiding his emotions than everyone thought he was. It made him want to rethink everything they'd been through, to see when exactly he had been on the receiving end of Nico's emotion barricade.

Percy's focus came back to the satyr in front of him. "Well?" Grover asked. "Are you going to let him sleep in your cabin or not?" It sounded almost accusatory the way he asked, but he knew Grover was just looking out for his buddy. Percy made eye contact with Nico. He saw the look of desperation and realized that what Nico had said wasn't an entire lie. He hadn't been getting enough sleep. He nodded, not wanting to break contact with the Son of Hades. Percy could see Grover beaming, proud that he could be of use, before strutting out of the Poseidon cabin.

"Thanks for that," Nico said, blushing and looking away, readjusting himself on the bed. Percy found himself getting angry at the boy across the room.

"How could you not tell me?" he asked, a little sharper than he had intended. Nico looked up in surprise. "How could you keep that a secret, Nico? You should have told me you weren't sleeping... Mix that in with all the shadow traveling you've been doing and you could seriously hurt yourself." Nico rolled his eyes, making Percy even angrier. How could Nico not see how much it drove Percy crazy? He just didn't care about his own well being. Nico stood up, seeing the angry expression on Percy's face, and started heading towards the door.

"You wanted to sleep then sleep," Percy said, jumping up to block the door, swatting at Nico's outstretched hand. He groaned, sitting back down on the bed. Percy used almost all of his willpower to keep from letting his jaw drop. "And you wonder why Will is always telling you what to do," he muttered under his breath, sliding down until he was sitting in front of the door. Nico snapped his head over to Percy, his face locked in a scowl.

"Just because I'm not as good a liar as earlier doesn't give you any right -" Nico started before getting cut off by a very emotional Percy.

"No? I don't have any right to tell you the truth? You shouldn't lie to me," Percy hesitated, "us... We've been through everything together. Lies only tear us apart, don't you see that?" Nico's scowl softened slightly, and he closed his eyes, laying down.

"I'm sorry, Percy..." he said quietly, falling asleep almost immediately. Percy groaned and bent his head back so it was resting on the door. He didn't know why it bothered him so much, but he couldn't handle knowing that Nico had been lying to him. He hadn't been lying very well, but it was still lying. He could hear Nico's breath; it was shaky and he made a kind of soft whistling when he inhaled as if there was something constricting on his throat. Percy sighed and closed his eyes, realizing just how tired he was. For the first time in months, he found his mind completely and utterly blank. Eventually, he found comfort in hearing Nico's breathing in the complete silence, relaxing enough to finally drift off to sleep.


	4. III

In the month after the war, the burrow had lost all of its life. The Weasleys, a usually cheery family, sullenly meandering, as if there were no light left in the world.

Those moments were long gone in the days leading up to the trip to Hogwarts.

~~~~

Harry plopped down on his bed, strangely tired after finishing his packing. Ron had been lost in thought for a few minutes after Hermione mentioned that they were all missing books, and Hermione had been practicing her charms on Ron's clothes laying on the floor of his closet.

"We should apparate there!" Ron yelled suddenly, startling everyone enough to make Hermione drop her wand, and Harry jump straight up again. Hermione sighed, picking up her wand.

"We can't, Ron. We aren't of age yet," she said, concealing a small laugh. Ron huffed.

"Like I care!" Hermione crossed her arms and faced Ron with an exasperated expression, as though her nonverbal word was final. Harry watched with amusement as his best friend attempted a meek staring contest with his girlfriend before eventually giving up, looking down to play with the carpet.

"We could always take the car-" Ron started, getting cut off by a screaming Molly Weasley from downstairs.

"Don't you dare say 'car' Arthur. We are not going in that death trap," she shouted, shrilly.

"It's not a death trap," Ron mumbled. Harry furrowed his brows.  _It certainly felt like one in our second year._ He shuddered, chuckling slightly afterwards. He didn't know how, but the memory still gave him goosebumps.

A thundering sound as someone clambered up the stairs, dragged him from his thoughts. 

Just as quickly as the sound had come, it was gone and the silence that settled was stifling.

The door slammed open, causing all the three of them, really just Ron, to jump. "Apologies," Arthur muttered sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "It looks like we're taking the floo."

He was gone, just as quickly as he had come, leaving them a laughing mess in the middle of the room.

Harry was doubled over, wheezing, as Hermione shook her head at Ron, a smile on her face at Ron's disgruntled expression. This made Harry laugh harder, though, unable to contain the joy he felt at the moment.

"Come on... I couldn't have jumped that bad," Ron pouted.

"Yeah, right. Because five feet in the air isn't that bad."

"I did not jump that much. I couldn't possibly be so scared by the door,"

The door flew open, once again startling Ron who was pale. Hermione started giggling and even Harry had to contain his laughter at the boy.

Ginny watched them nonplussed. She opted for ignoring the blabbering of her brother, which started to bother Harry. Ginny, as if sensing Harry's discontent, decided to explain why she had barged into the room in the first place.

"Come on, guys. We best be getting to Diagon Alley before it's too late."

Ron, seemingly snapping out of his haze, stood with a huff of annoyance, before striding out of the room, attempting to look put together despite his actions moments prior. 

Hermione snickered, following him out of the room quickly, leaving Harry with Ginny who was blushing slightly. "Well come on, Harry," She ushered, leading him downstairs to the chimney.

"You remember how  _not_ to do this, right Harry?" Ron snickered. Harry, who remembered very clearly, how much he needed to pronunciate, just glared at him, snorting when Molly smacked him with a newspaper at the same time as Hermione elbowed him. "Ow... I didn't mean it guys," he whined.

"Don't bring that back up, Ronald. Now, get along," she scolded, smiling at Harry sweetly.

Ron rolled his eyes at Harry, earning him another smack from the paper. "I told you the news was dangerous, Harry."

Then he said 'Diagon Alley' and disappeared into green flame.

Harry stared at the place he had been moments ago, just as shocked now as he was back in their second year. 

"Are you ready to go, Harry?" Molly asked, beckoning him over as she held out the pot.

"As I'll ever be," he muttered, grabbing the powder. He made sure to take a deep breath, not inhaling any of the powder, and clearly stated 'Diagon Alley'. Squeezing his eyes shut, he held his breath, nervous, despite having used the floo before.

He made sure that his elbows were tucked in as he was transported to the main part of wizarding London.

Cautiously, Harry stepped out of the fireplace onto a creaky floorboard. He didn't recognize his surroundings for a moment, and feared that he had, once again, stated the wrong place.

That fear had vanished in an instant when Hermione bounded over to him, hugging him tight. "Good Job, Harry. You actually made it to the right place this time," Ron stated, glad that his parents were nowhere near them.

Hermione was the one who smacked him this time, with her arm though. "Ow... come on 'Mione, It was a joke."

"It was a cruel joke,  _Ron,_ " she hissed. Ron shrugged sheepishly, turning back to Harry. 

"Come on, then. We have some shopping to do," Ginny stated as she stepped out of the fireplace, George right behind her.

"Yes, come along. We don't have much time," George emphasized, looping his elbow with Hermione as they rushed out of the Leaky Cauldron and onto the busy street of Diagon Alley.

"Right, then. What do we need?"

"We need  _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 7_ by Miranda Goshawk,  _Advanced Potion-Making_ by Libatius Borage,  _A Guide to Advanced Transfiguration_ by Emeric Switch, Quills, Ink, and Parchment," Hermione stated as though she was already prepared with what they need. "Oh, and both Harry and Ron need new robes."

"Why do we need to wear robes? They are so uncomfortable," Ron whined, having already thrown his away.

"Yeah, Hermione. We never wear them anyway."

"Yes, but we have a new headmaster this year and whoever it is, might not like the fact that you two don't own one. So we should get them, just in case."

Harry sighed, knowing that it was pointless to fight with Hermione on this. "Alright then. We'll go get fitted for our robes first and then George and Ginny can go and get some of the other items we need."

Ginny nodded, agreeing that it was a fine idea and they all headed towards Madam Malkin's. "Are you excited to be going back to school Harry?"

"I don't know Ginny. A lot of stuff happened this year, and going early to clean up will definitely leave scars the entirety of the school year. You won't be there either," Harry trailed off, a blush dusting his cheeks.

Ginny giggled, pushing him slightly before shoving him towards the shop, waving before she left with George. 

Harry, still blushing, walked in, standing next to Hermione, who was explaining to Malkin what they needed, tuning them out. 

This year would be really different. It would be a lot quieter and less packed, due to the lack of the other 6 years as well as the loss of all those students who died during the war. It wasn't fair that they all had to die for Voldemort's ridiculous ideals.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by Madam Malkin, gesturing for him to come up to the stand. 

Sighing, he made his way up there, already feeling awkward.

The bell rang as a boy, with platinum blonde hair, walked into the shop, pausing when he noticed who was standing there. It felt like Harry's first year all over again, the only difference being that he knew who this boy was this time.

"What are you doing here, Malfoy?" Ron spat, obviously disgusted by him being here. 

"I'm just here to get some new robes," he muttered. There was something different about him, but Harry couldn't put his finger on it.

"For what? You couldn't possibly be allowed to go back to Hogwarts," Ron hissed venomously.

"I-"

"Ronald! Stop being such a prat!" Ginny swept into the shop, glaring daggers at her brother.

"Why should I? He and his family killed our mates."

"I-" Draco started again, just to be cut off by a still angry Ron.

"What? You're sorry. You'd do anything to make it up. You can't  _Malfoy,_ they're dead."

"Ronald stop it!" Ginny exclaimed, tears in her eyes. Harry knew that Ron was just venting about his brother's death at last. Ginny hugged Ron, calming him down slightly.

The room was dead silent, aside from Ron's sniffles, as no one wanted to say anything. So many things were left unsaid between everyone in the room, but nobody could find the words to speak them.

They all got their robes in silence before heading out to the book store where George was patiently waiting, having already forgot which books that they needed. They headed in, immediately beginning to search for the books.

When they regrouped at the counter, they were stuck behind Draco, who was trying to convince the owner to let him pay back the other few galleons another time. "I'm afraid we can't do that Draco. You need to pay in full now."

Draco sighed, shoulders slumping in defeat. "It's alright. I'm sure someone has an extra copy I can borrow."

"What are you talking about 'an extra copy'?" Ron was puzzled.

"Well... I don't have the money to buy this copy, so I'll borrow another."

"You. A Malfoy. Don't have enough money," Ron peered at him skeptically. "I don't believe it."

"Well, I don't, so shove off Weasley," Draco hissed, stomping out of the bookstore.

Harry watched him leave, warily. Something was definitely different with him. Up until he he told Ron to shove off, he hadn't been rude at all. He didn't have any money. Something had happened, but he just didn't know what.


End file.
